Freight Continues to Post Year-Over-Year Gains

In May, the Freight Transportation Services Index landed at a reading of 97.7, 4.4 percent higher than the same month a year ago

, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. In May 2009, the index reached a low of 93.5.

However, after rising for two straight months, the index fell 0.4 percent from April to May. The Freight TSI is down 13.5 percent from its historic peak of 112.9 reached in May 2006.

The index has risen 4.4 percent over the last 12 months, starting in June 2009. Prior to that, it had dropped 15.3 percent in the previous 10 months beginning in August 2008. The index has increased in nine of the last 12 months. Through the first five months of 2010, the index was down 1.9 percent with slight increases in January, March and April. In February, it fell 3.5 percent.

The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments in ton-miles, which are then combined into one index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.

Although the index rose 4.4 percent from May 2009 to May 2010, it remains below the level of every other May since 1997 when it was 92.7. March 2010 was the first month since July 2008 in which the Freight TSI exceeded the level of the previous year. The index has exceeded the previous year's level every month since March but still remains below the level of earlier years.

The freight index is down 12.4 percent in the five years from May 2005 and down 1.8 percent in the 10 years from May 2000.

For additional historical data, visit www.bts.gov/xml/tsi/src/index.xml.